


Comparison

by Neroavan



Series: Tendou Week 2017 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Childhood, Day 1, Future, Gen, Tendou Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-31 11:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10897998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neroavan/pseuds/Neroavan
Summary: Tendou found himself comparing his past and the future after that, and realized that it turned out for the best.





	Comparison

“Can I play with you?” Tendou asked the kid who owned the ball, fidgeting nervously. The kid looked at him for a second before making a disgusted face.

“Dun wanna, you monster! Monsters can’t play on human teams!” he said, sticking his tongue out before running off with the other kids.

Tendou frowned. He didn’t do anything wrong, so why were they treating him badly? Was it because he had unnatural red hair, or large dark brown eyes? Was it because of that?

The young boy fought back the urge to cry. The other kids would only laugh at him if they saw him crying. Tendou didn’t want that. He didn’t want them to make fun of him; he just wanted to be friends with them, perhaps even be able to make more friends with their help.

He then decided. If the other kids didn’t want to play with him that day, he would just try again tomorrow. Right. He’ll just have to deal with the company of their school’s volleyball coach.

The coach was a nice person. Tendou thought so since he once defended Tendou against the bullies. To cheer him up, the coach taught him how to play volleyball.

After learning how to play, Tendou didn’t know what position he would like to play.

“It will come naturally to you, so don’t worry,” said Coach. Tendou looked at him with eyes full of hope.

He couldn’t wait to find out.

It didn’t really take him that long. Coach organized three-on-three matches. Tendou was still sad that nobody would join his team willingly. His teammates only passed to each other, hardly even letting Tendou touch the ball, except when serving though he always screwed it up.

So he did the one thing he could do without needing the help of his teammates: blocking.

“Go!” shouted a kid from the opposing side, tossing the ball to his teammate, who also happened to be the leader of the bullies. Tendou didn’t care though. He focused on the ball, then quickly skimmed over the figure of the spiker.

His feet were facing forward, his posture also indicated that he would be hitting nowhere but in front of him.

Tendou quickly put himself right in front the spiker. He waited several seconds, then jumped when he felt right.

“Wha…” said the kid, jaw hanging open.

The ball was perfectly blocked by Tendou, who just stared at his hands in awe. He then looked at the kid he just blocked.

Tendou found his expression satisfying - rewarding, even.

The way the boy scowled at him, eyes filled with anger and annoyance, and also a little bit of fear.

Fear!

Even if it was just a little bit, the boy - the bully - was afraid of Tendou.

The redhead could feel the corner of his lips tugging upwards.

It was truly the expression he wanted to see from his opponents.

He loved it.

 

* * *

 

“Wakatoshi-kun~!” singsonged Tendou. The former ace of Shiratorizawa looked at him while wiping of the sweat caused by practice.

“Tendou. What brings you here?” he said, taking the bottle of water the redhead was handing to him.

“Oh, can’t I see my dearest best friend during practice?” said Tendou.

Ushijima shook his head. “You can. I don’t mind.”

Tendou grinned. It had been a long time since he last saw Ushijima in person. Tendou seriously continued wondering on how he never visited the dark haired man during college. He only gathered the courage (and money) to got to Tokyo today.

They just stood there, no words being exchanged between them. Tendou was okay with that. He still couldn’t think what to tell Ushijima first. On the other hand, Ushijima was just waiting for his best friend to speak.

“Ushijima! Mind if we play a three-on-three?” asked a teammate of Ushijima. The man agreed.

“I’ll be watching from the bleachers, okay?” said Tendou, patting the taller’s shoulder.

“Mm,” said Ushijima.

Tendou was about to go up to the bleachers when Ushijima’s teammate called out to him.

“Hey you! The one with the red hair!” he shouted. Tendou looked at him.

“Aren’t you Tendou? The best friend Ushijima talked about?”

Tendou raised a brow. Ushijima talked about him?

“Yeah, why?” he asked.

The teammate sighed in relief. “Can I ask you to block for us? And uh, give our blockers some tips? Ushijima told us you were a great blocker in high school.”

Tendou thought about it for a while. He didn’t really have anything to lose and it had been a long time since he last played volleyball.

“Sure,” he said. “But I’m quite rusty.”

“No prob. He said you quit, but I thought that it would be nice if he can play with a former teammate. I think he misses playing with you guys.”

Ushijima misses playing with them? Tendou felt the same.

Tendou decided to quit volleyball after high school because he, contrary to his best friend, wouldn’t really be accepted by other teams with his way of playing. Besides, Shiratorizawa was the best team he ever had.

Freedom. Friends. Shiratorizawa offered it to him. College would just take them away.

Tendou played it safe and decided to remain with the feeling Shiratorizawa gave him. He didn’t want it to be taken away.

He loved it, so why would he let it go?

Why would he let the feeling be forgotten and replaced by one he didn’t want?

Tendou shook off the thoughts in his head, and went to join the others. A guy lent him practice clothes. Another one gave him tape.

He was on Ushijima’s side, once more playing with the brunet after several years.

The ball was served by his other teammate, and their opponents received it perfectly. Tendou focused on the setter and guessed right about which spiker he would use.

Tendou went in for the kill the moment the spiker was about to spike. The ball hit his arms, his limbs absorbing the power of the ball while knocking it down.

He looked at his opponent.

There was it again, the expression of anger and annoyance. Tendou could never get tired of it.

The expression disappeared after a few seconds, replaced with a sigh of defeat.

“Not bad for a rusty guy,” he said. Tendou just smiled.

He then felt a hand on his shoulder. It belonged to Ushijima.

“Nice kill,” he said in that deep voice that Tendou used to hear only through speakers. Tendou’s smile grew warmer.

He wondered if the others would tell him the same had they been playing together.

Tendou got hit with a wave of nostalgia. He really missed playing with his teammates. His friends.

“Wakatoshi-kun, what if we meet up with the rest of the former Shiratorizawa regulars this weekend? Let’s play again together, shall we?” Tendou said to Ushijima after they got back into position.

“That would be nice,” replied Ushijima.

Tendou’s smile widened even more, his cheeks starting to hurt.

True, he loved the expression of his opponent after being blocked, but he would love nothing else more than the teammates he had in Shiratorizawa.

He really loved them.

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1: Childhood/Future
> 
> I love this guy too much?
> 
> Plus it's already 15th May here?


End file.
